States double down – Pueblo Chieftain
The price of a Powerball ticket will double to $2 starting in January, the Colorado Lottery Commission said Wednesday.
The increase from $1 a ticket — with the $1 Powerplay option still being offered — is part of a larger reworking of the multistate Powerball game, Lottery Director Abel Tapia said.
“The members of the Multi State Lottery Association voted by a super majority to increase the price of a Powerball ticket to $2 effective Jan. 18, 2012,” Tapia said. “The revised game will offer better odds of winning, but at the same time should increase the size of number of $100 million or larger jackpots.”
Tapia said 44 states and provinces offering Powerball are gambling that players will pay $2 for a chance at bigger jackpots.
“The revised game also will increase the prize for hitting five Powerball numbers to $1 million from $200,000.”
With a high percentage of players who purchase the Powerplay option for an additional dollar, Tapia said, “we are confident game sales will increase.”
The commission also said goodbye to Lottery Deputy Director Tom Kitts, who served 14 years with the agency, including eight years as deputy director and also as acting director before Tapia’s appointment last July.
Commission Vice Chairman Dick Reeve presented Kitts with a plaque and said, “You have served the citizens of Colorado with great distinction.”
Kitts noted some of the highs and lows of his tenure.
“We have certainly had a lot of interesting times. The $20 (scratch tickets) were wildly successful, but cross-selling (of Mega Millions plus other online games) has not been wildly successful — yet,” Kitts said.
Mega Millions, a multistate game, was added to the Lottery’s array of games — Lotto, Matchplay, Cash 5, scratch tickets, Powerball and bonus raffles — last year.